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Iraqi Elections III

A conversation with my dad reminds me that I've been taking the wrong line on these elections. Try this instead:

The vote was a stunning success. The war's critics have been completely discredited. Democracy is here! The war is won! George W. Bush is a genius! Time to bring the victorious troops home for a ticker tape parade. Democracy has happened, we were wrong, Bush was right, the war is won, and now it should be done with.

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» Blogospheric Round-Up: Elections in Iraq from PoliBlog: Politics is the Master Science
A trip around the Blogosphere (and yes, with a heavy dose of my blogroll, although not exclusively):
From on the ground, Omar at IRAQ THE MODEL has post called "The People have won." The money quote:I walked forward to my station, cast my vote an... [Read More]

Tracked on Jan 30, 2005 12:51:00 PM

» More Election Thoughts from Centerfield
72%. The terrorists have failed. Freedom has prevailed. Regardless of TalkLeft's whining that there's too much security, the fact that Matt Yglesias seems to be grudgingly and sarcastically conceding rather than celebrating freedom, and Daily Kos seems... [Read More]

Tracked on Jan 30, 2005 1:31:05 PM

» The Shifting Goalposts from Balloon Juice
First, they said the elections couldn't/wouldn't happen. Then, they said they would happen, but they would be wracked with violence... [Read More]

Do you mean drive the tanks east, through Iran and Afghanistan into Pakistan where the dictator Musharraf is hosting bin Laden, mass murderer, and AQ Khan, who did more to spread nukes than any other man?

No, Kool-Aid kid, spreading nukes to terrorists and slaughtering Americans aren't important to you, you have been given other marching orders:

So the standard now is that, whatever we advocate our government do, we must personally do?

I see. So you all - who presumably advocate more healthcare for the uninsured, right? - are donating all of your money to the uninsured, no? If not, then don't ever advocate we do anything for the uninsured, OK?

You mean, the US is sort of like a boxer coming out of the retirement of being run by the wimpy Democrats, and we need to warm up for the big fight in Pakistan with a few minor bouts with Iraq and Iran?

Then after Pakistan, on to China! They raise the yuan vs. the dollar or we pound them back into the stone age. What's the point of a dominant army if you don't use it to help our businesses?

Listening to Fox and CNN this morning you would think that something amazing has happened. Just because there wasn't mass death today--just a normal number of suicide bombings and attacks--it was successful? The country has been locked down for three days. The borders have been closed, even internally, no private cars on the road.

I do not for a minute believe that there was anywhere near 72% voter turnout (whatever that means) in Iraq. There were no independent poll watchers in the country. The potentional for fraud is incalculable.

I do not for a minute believe that there was anywhere near 72% voter turnout (whatever that means) in Iraq. There were no independent poll watchers in the country. The potentional for fraud is incalculable.

What the hell does that last sentence even mean? "The potentional for fraud is incalculable" could apply to any election on earth. Voter turnout means percentage of eligible voters voting. UN observers are monitoring results : http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/409087.htm. The reality based community hard at work I see.

Evidently the so-called Independent (sic) Election Commission revised the number downward to 60%, which MAY be somewhat accurate, though anything that comes from the so-called "Iraqi" so-called "government" is suspect. The "Iraqi government", including the Election Commission is a branch of the Bush administration after all.

What will be interesting now is to see how the occupying power - i.e. the Bush administration - will secure its control over the assembly. I believe they started this process weeks if not months ago by putting pressure on the so-called "Sistani list" over the withdrawal issue.

The debate should never have been about the benefit of elections, or freedom and liberty, nor should it have been about predicting what the outcome of this war would be. The debate should always have been about the traitorous and criminal act of falsifying intelligence data, hoodwinking the American people into a war. Kerry said it was arrogant. That doesn't go far enough. Boxer said they were lies. That doesn't go far enough. They were crimes against America. The administration used falsified evidence to overstate its case in order to bring Iraq into competition with the general interest of America. In our democracy, that's a crime, no matter what the outcome of the Iraq war.

My heartfelt condolances to you lefties. This has to be a dark day for you.

But, keep hope alive: The Iraqies still need to compromise on a constitution and hold two more elections before the permanent government is in place...plenty of time for insurrgents to undermine the process.